PwC UK chairman resists calls for Big Four breakup as firm posts record revenues September 17, 2018 The chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers UK said the Big Four accountant has learnt from its mistakes and improved processes, after it raised revenues despite settling two regulatory investigations in the past year. Kevin Ellis, PwC’s UK chairman and senior partner, told City A.M. he stands by the company’s opposition to breaking up the Big Four accountancy firms, [...]
Competition watchdog launches inquiry into CME takeover of Nex Group September 13, 2018 US exchange operator CME's planned $5.5bn (£4.89bn) acquisition of London's Nex Group will be investigated by the UK's competition watchdog. The deal, which was announced in March and is expected to be completed by the end of this year, will either be approved or referred for a more in-depth investigation by 8 November, the Competition and Markets Authority said. [...]
Competition watchdog launches inquiry into CME takeover of Nex Group September 13, 2018 US exchange operator CME's planned $5.5bn (£4.89bn) acquisition of London's Nex Group will be investigated by the UK's competition watchdog. The deal, which was announced in March and is expected to be completed by the end of this year, will either be approved or referred for a more in-depth investigation by 8 November, the Competition and Markets Authority said. [...]
The rise of Chinese finance puts pressure on London and New York as top financial centres September 12, 2018 London and New York remain the top two financial centres in the world but Asian cities are hot on their heels, according to an authoritative ranking to be published today. A major report from London-based think tank and consultancy Z/Yen will show the average ranking of financial centres in Asia and the Pacific region rose [...]
Grave concerns: Dignity shares tumble after funeral war with Co-op livens up September 10, 2018 Shares in funeral provider Dignity dropped by more than six per cent this morning, after its biggest rival Co-operative Group slashed the cost of its cheapest funeral and introduced a price guarantee. The Co-op, which is the market leader, announced its price for a “simple” funeral – including collection, the preparation of the body and [...]
City Moves for 6 September 2018 – who’s switching jobs at the Financial Conduct Authority, JCDecaux Airport and Howard Kennedy? September 6, 2018 Today's City Moves cover competition, aviation advertising and legal eagles. Take a look at these movers and shakers: Financial Conduct Authority The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has appointed Sheldon Mills as its new director of competition. Sheldon is currently senior director, mergers and state aid at the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). At the CMA, [...]
Parliament a no-show for Viagogo as committee chair accuses firm of ‘gross discourtesy’ September 5, 2018 The head of an influential committee of MPs launched a scathing attack on Viagogo today after the controversial ticket resale giant snubbed a parliamentary hearing for the second time in as many years. Damian Collins, who chairs the department for digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS) select committee, slammed the act of non-attendance as a [...]
Green is the new gold…and emerging markets are flashing red September 5, 2018 Forget Gold. The greenback is the new safe haven of choice for investors seeking refuge. They are flocking to the US dollar en masse every time geo-political and trade tensions push them to make a defensive move while bullion lags behind. But this is bad news for emerging markets and here is why…. As the [...]
Paul Pester steps down as TSB CEO after IT outages September 4, 2018 TSB boss Paul Pester is to step down from the UK high street bank, following seven years of service that ended amid a prolonged and ongoing IT crisis. However, the bank insisted Pester was not a “fall guy” for the outage that began in April, impacting around 1.9m customers. Read more: TSB apologises to customers [...]
Petrol station merger could drive up fuel prices, watchdog finds September 1, 2018 Motor Fuel Group's (MFG) takeover of petrol station supplier MRH could drive up prices, the competition watchdog has found. An investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the merger could increase fuel prices at 29 locations across the UK. Read more: Petrol prices soar to four-year high on back of weak pound Competition provided [...]